The way you look tonight
by PandorasHollow
Summary: SNickers. random fluff


_**Disclaimer:** I don't own CSI and I don't want to own it but can I have Warrick? Pretty please? _

**AN:** This story was written ages ago. I completely forgot about it until I stumbled upon it today. There's no spoiler warning **BUT** you should know that it was written **months** before season 6 finale when everything was full of sunshine and unicorns and no canon ship whatsoever.

_I know the story starts with Warrick & Tina, but don't worry you won't be able to miss the Snickers fluff!_

* * *

The bed dipped under Tina as she crawled on it to the other side where her husband was soundly asleep. Her fingers played across his chest and she bent down to plant a kiss on his lips. "Honey, wake up," she singsonged and he slowly started to stir, "come on, open your pretty eyes." A smile crept across Warrick's face but he still refused to open his eyes.

"What'll happen if I don't?" His voice was thick with sleep.

"Then you'll not see what I've bought at Victoria's Secret the other day." His eyes opened before she had even finished the sentence.

"You tease." He said, a small pout appearing on his lips when he saw that she was fully dressed. She laughed and kissed his pouty lips.

"Happy Birthday, baby." Tina whispered against his lips and then kissed him again, this time longer and more intense, making both gasp for air a minute later.

"Happy Birthday indeed." Warrick said, lacing his long fingers through Tina's auburn curls, drawing her closer again but his wife untangled herself from his eager hands and lips before he could engage her in another kiss and maybe into something more. "Hey, now that's not nice." Warrick almost whined at the loss of her in his arms.

"I have a surprise for you but you have to get up 'cause it's in the living room"

"I'd rather you surprise me here in the bedroom." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively while patting the mattress next to him.

"Later." Tina said with a wink and Warrick chuckled.

"First living room, then bedroom. You planning on re-christening our house"

"Well, it's for me to know and for you to find out." She said cheekily, making Warrick roll his eyes at her.

"Alright, alright. I'm already up." He pulled away the bed covers and stood up, taking Tina's outstretched hand in his. She pecked him on the lips and together they walked out of their bedroom, down the small hallway into the living room which was instantly filled with loud cheering.

"SURPRISE!" The group of people in the living room exclaimed and surprise was truly written all over Warrick's face. He stood there for a moment, taken aback as he watched dozens of eyes looking at him. Loitering around in his living room were many of his closest friends but off to his right stood the group of people he had grown to consider family, Nick, Sara, Greg, Catherine and Grissom.

"Wh-What?…" He had a smile upon his face as he looked around the room before Tina made her presence known next to him.

"Happy birthday baby." She said and squeezed his hand affectionally before she let their friends hug, kiss and wish Warrick a happy birthday. A few minutes later, everyone was scattered around the room talking and laughing and having a good time. It gave Warrick a chance to seek out his wife who was talking with Jody a friend of hers. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Tina from behind and then planted a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, babe. Are you enjoying your party?" Tina asked him, putting a hand over his that was resting on her belly.

"Yes, very much. Thank you."

"No need to thank me. I'm happy that you like it."

"How did you manage to decorate the room and everything without waking me up." Warrick wondered out loud. He had come home from work, later than he should have. The house had been empty since Tina was supposed to work the whole day. Now several birthday decorations adorned their living room and different kinds of food and drinks were displayed on the dining table.

"Well, honey. When you're out, you're out." Tina let out a small giggle that he loved so much as she saw him rolling his eyes at her. She looked so beautiful smiling up at him that he couldn't but kiss her again.

Across the room Nick was talking with Archie and Greg about some new movie by the Wachowski Brothers as he saw Sara walk into the kitchen. He excused himself to the guys and walked after her. As he pushed the door open he found her over the sink washing her hands.

"Hey there beautiful." He drawled and a smile spread over Sara's lips. She turned off the faucet and took the towel next to her on the counter to dry her hands.

"Hey you." Sara replied and as she turned around to face him, she found him right behind her. He put his hands on the counter behind her, trapping her between him and the counter.

"Have I told you how gorgeous you look in this top of yours." Nick said in a low and slightly husky voice. Sara wore a red, sleeveless top that showed a bit more of cleavage and bare back than her other tops. It was a spontaneous purchase and from the reactions she had gotten from several people and especially from Nick, she was more than glad that she had bought it.

"I seem to recall that you liked me better out of it." Sara said with a smirk. Nick kissed her then and she could feel him smile against her lips. She remembered the appreciative look on his face when he had seen her in the outfit earlier that day. She also remembered that a half an hour later she had needed to get redressed. The kiss ended and they found themselves breathless and in a tight embrace.

"I think we better go outside before someone walks in." Beside Warrick and Tina and Nick's family, nobody else knew about their four months long relationship. At least not officially. Sara was sure that Catherine and Greg and even Grissom have noticed something but neither of them have questioned her or Nick.

"Okay. Let's go." Nick said and kissed her quick before both walked back into the living room.

"Girl, you look beautiful." Warrick said as he caught Sara and Nick walk out of the kitchen.

"Thank you. Are you having a good time?" She asked him.

"Oh, yeah. It's a blast"

"That's good." Sara said, smiling up at him.

"You guys want something to drink?" Nick asked.

"I already have a drink." Warrick showed Nick his almost empty glass.

"Water for me please."

"I'll be right back." With that Nick went to retrieve drinks for him and Sara while she and Warrick continued to talk about this and that.  
Nick quickly found the drinks he wanted. He threw a glance towards Warrick and Sara and found them laughing about something. A smile formed on Nick's lips as he watched them. He felt blessed to have them both in his life.  
Warrick was a good friend. At work he always had his back and always challenged him, making him improve his skills as a CSI. Sara has always amazed him, as a CSI and as a person. He counted himself lucky to be the one sharing a life with her.  
It wasn't yet official what he had known for a long time. He loved her. He was madly in love with her and everyday he told her so. Every time her response was a smile or a kiss before she told him that she loved him too. Those were the moments he cherished the most.  
As of now not many people knew that they were together. That was about to change. He and Sara had decided to let everyone know. After they almost got caught making out in the locker room the other day, they had a talk that led them to the realization that none of the reasons why they kept their relationship a secret in the first place, made any sense anymore. Now, they just waited for the right moment to tell the rest of the team.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x_**

Grissom was sitting in a comfortable chair with an unusual quiet Catherine next to him. She seemed somewhat jumpy and kept glancing at her wristwatch.

"Is everything alright?" Grissom asked her and she jerked her head towards him.

"Oh, yeah. Everything is fine." She assured him with a weak smile. Grissom nodded and looked away. Catherine was glad for the lack of his interest because she couldn't have come up with an excuse and she didn't want to tell him the truth, that she felt quite uneasy around Warrick and his wife. Any other time Grissom might have questioned her further about her subtle discomfort but this time he was distracted himself.  
All of his attention was on Nick and Sara. He had noticed a few changes between the two of them as well in them individually. It were no bad changes, quite the opposite actually. Sometimes he found himself wondering what had caused those changes. He had a few theories and the one that seemed the most plausible was that they were dating. However, even though he had watched them on many occasions he still had no sturdy evidence. As of yet, everything was just speculation. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had only seen them together at work. They were both professionals and Grissom knew that if it was really true, that the nature of their relationship had changed, that neither of them would let it interact with their job.  
He came to the conclusion that he needed to see Nick and Sara outside of work if he wanted to prove his theory. He saw Nick hand Sara a bottle of water and as he saw her smile broadly at Nick. That instant Grissom remembered something. He remembered the one morning when he had gone to Sara's and found Nick there.

_**Flashback**_  
_Grissom parked his car in front of her apartment complex. He remembered the last time he was there. He had come to fire her, an order by Ecklie. Grissom remembered her confession and her tears, he remembered wishing that he could make it all better.  
Ever since that particular incident he has been watching her a bit closer, hoping that she wouldn't blow off again at someone. Hoping that he would be there to stop her.  
Sara however, he recalled, was calmer and more relaxed the few last weeks. She had seemed more carefree and Grissom reasoned that it was because she was finally seeking help from a therapist. He knew that she had before but that was only because she had to, it was one of the conditions to keep her job but now she went to one because she wanted to, because she was ready to put her past behind her. Four days ago he started to worry about her again. It was their latest case, child molestation and murder, and he had seen the emotions in her brown eyes, had seen the determination to solve the case and the hatred pointed at the little boy's mother who had done nothing to save her son from her abusive boyfriend. _

With a heavy sigh, Grissom exited the car and headed up the stairs to her apartment. He was lost in thoughts about Sara that he failed to notice that aside from his car there were not one but two more Denalis parked.  
As he neared her door he heard a shriek that prompted him to hurry up but as he raised his hand to knock on the door he heard another sound that made his hand stop in midair. Laughter. Sara was laughing. He let out a relieved breath when his mind registered that she didn't seem to be in any danger.  
After a slight knock on her door he heard footsteps and soon he stood face to face with a grinning Sara who had traces of whipped cream on her face and in her hair.

"Hey Grissom." She said, the grin not faltering for one second.

"Sara. Am I interrupting something?" He asked, an inquiring eyebrow raised at her appearance.

"No, no. Come in." She said while gesturing for him to enter. "Nick was just trying to embellish my face with whipped cream." She explained and closed the door behind him.

"That's impossible. You can not embellish perfection." Nick said and winked at her, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Grissom. "Hey Gris." Nick greeted him. He was standing in Sara's small kitchen with a kitchen towel thrown over his right shoulder.

"Nick." Grissom acknowledged the other man and then looked at Sara as she walked over to Nick and took the towel off his shoulder to wipe away the remains of the whipped cream off her face. "I didn't mean to impose. I'm sorry." Grissom said.

"You're not." Sara assured him. "I'm just waiting for Emeril to serve me breakfast." That remark earned her a growl from Nick which only resulted in Sara giving him a big smile. And what a smile it was, Grissom was mesmerized by the beauty of it. He didn't remember the last time she had smiled that way. He wasn't even sure if he had ever seen her smile so beautifully. "What brings you here Gris?"Sara asked, pulling him away from his thoughts of her.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay. You seemed a bit distracted when you left earlier." Grissom answered. Sara looked at him, the smile that he had witnessed mere seconds before was replaced by a serious expression that lingered on her face for a long moment.

"I'm fine." She finally said, a small smile returning to her lips. Rethinking just the last two minutes he has spent in her apartment Grissom knew that she was telling the truth. She really seemed to be fine.

"Well I'm glad." He told her. She rewarded him with a smile and Grissom noted with interest that that smile was a pale reflection of the one that had been pointed at Nick just a minute before.

"You wanna have breakfast with us?" She asked him.

"Yeah, stay Gris. There's plenty." Nick added before Grissom could answer. Sara pointed to a stool at the counter and told him to take a seat.

"Nick's making his famous blueberry pancakes. You won't regret it"

"I guess I could eat a bit. Thanks." Grissom smiled at the two of them and sat down on the stool. He watched as Sara retrieved a plate for him and he watched as Nick opened a drawer and took out a fork and knife, placing them on the plate Sara was holding. Grissom watched as Nick opened the cupboard above the sink and took a glass out while Sara went over to the fridge.

"What you'd like to drink?" She asked him and then opened the fridge.

"Water if you have." Grissom replied and soon a plate, cutlery, a bottled water and a glass were placed in front of him. He noticed how in sync Nick and Sara seemed to be and wondered for a moment if it was because they worked together for so long or if there were other, more private reasons for it.  
Grissom's thoughts about the two younger CSIs were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sara and Nick shared a look, wondering who it could be now. Nick shrugged his shoulders before heading towards the door to answer it.

"Hey Rick." He said as he saw Warrick outside.

"Hey man. I knew I'd find you here. You forgot your cell in my car." Warrick said as he handed the cell phone to Nick.

"Oh, thanks. I haven't even noticed that it was missing."

"I wonder why." Warrick replied in a hushed tone, waggling his brows at Nick who just sheepishly grinned in return.

"Hey Warrick. You wanna have breakfast with us?" Sara asked from behind the small counter that separated the kitchen area from the living room. Warrick thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Sure, if it's no trouble." Nick ushered Warrick inside and closed the door.

"No trouble at all." Sara replied. "What do you want? Pancakes? Eggs?"

"Whatever you guys are having." Warrick replied as he discarded his jacket. "Hey Grissom." He greeted the other man as he took a seat next to him at the counter.

"Warrick." Grissom smiled faintly at him before returning his attention back to the pair preparing breakfast. The next hour was spent with eating and casual talk and surprisingly the topics of their conversations had little to do with work.

Now, as Grissom sat in Warrick's living room that was full of people, he remembered two things that he hadn't noticed back on that particular morning.  
One of those things was Warrick saying to Nick that he knew Nick would be at Sara's. The other thing was that after breakfast he and Warrick had left but Nick had stayed back in Sara's apartment.

**_x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x  
_**  
Two hours later Warrick's house was empty except for Nick, Sara and Jody a friend of Tina's. The nightshift crew had just left for work and Nick and Sara have stayed behind to help Warrick and Tina clean up.

"Babe, going through Warrick and Tina's cd collection is not the definition of cleaning up." Sara told Nick as she walked past him with several empty bottles in her hands.

"Just a minute." Was Nick's only reply. He was scanning through the titles of a cd, hoping to find the song he was looking for. A triumphant smile crept across his lips as his quest ended in victory.

"You really don't have to do this." Tina told Sara. "Why don't you sit down and rest for a few minutes since both you have to go into work in a bit"

"We really don't mind. We wouldn't have offered if we didn't mean it, right Nick?" Sara directed the question at him.

"That's right babe." He answered absent-mindedly as he busied himself with putting the cd into the cd-player. He was tempted to mock Warrick for owning this cd but seeing what he was about to do, he decided that it was better that he kept his mouth shut. As the soft tunes of the song filled the living room, Nick walked over Sara.

"May I ask for this dance?" He whispered in her ear and she spun around to face him.

"Nick, we don't have time for this"

"Come on. Just one dance." He said as he took her hands in his and led her towards the middle of the living room where they had more space to dance. The music was somewhat familiar to Sara but she wasn't sure what song it was. Soon enough the voice of a man started to sing along to the music and Sara couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of her as she recognized the song.

_I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight  
I've never seen you shine so bright…_

To see her laugh so wholeheartedly and to know that it was him who was responsible for her laughter, for the happiness that shone in her eyes, it still made Nick speechless. There was a part of him that still couldn't believe that she was his. A part that still had a hard time believing that it was him who she loved.

"You do know that I'm not going to let you live down this cheesy moment for the rest of your life?" Sara said with a smirk on her lips.  
"As long as it's for the rest of my life, I don't mind." Nick whispered and the smirk on her lips slowly faded away. The implicitness of his words rendered her speechless and she could feel herself fall in love with him all over again. Her pulse quickened, her throat constricted and she felt tears burning in her eyes. She looked intently at him, yet again overwhelmed by the love and affection that she saw in his brown eyes. Sara didn't know how to respond so she acted impulsively and kissed him. She poured every bit of love she felt into that one kiss, hoping it would tell him everything she failed to express with words. As much as both wished the kiss would never end, the lack of oxygen in their lungs made them pull away. They opened their eyes and stared at each other, bright smiles gracing the faces of both. No other words needed to be said. That kiss had sealed an unspoken agreement of something more, of something better to come and to stay.

Nick winked at her and before she knew it, he twirled her gracefully around the living room and started to sing along to the song, not so gracefully. Sara's laughter once again filled the room and it only made Nick grin broader. For a moment Sara wondered what a silly image they must provide, dancing out of the rhythm of the song, with Nick's off-key singing and her oh so girlish giggling. However as Nick pushed her away only to pull her spinning back into his arms, Sara couldn't care less about their appearance. She was in the arms of the man she loved more than she ever thought possible and she relished in the knowledge that he loved her just as much.

Oblivious to everything and everyone outside of their embrace, the couple didn't notice Warrick and Tina with arms around each other as they watched them dance. They didn't notice a not so surprised Grissom outside, looking at them through an open window, thinking he finally had his evidence.

He had come back to retrieve his forgotten jacket and he was passing the open window just in time to see Nick whisper something into Sara's ear. That's when he had stopped in his tracks. He had watched as Nick took Sara's hands in his, as they stepped closer, as Sara threw her head back in laughter. And a moment later he had watched them kiss.  
Grissom had walked closer to the window, drawn to it, to the scene inside the house like a moth to a flame. His eyes had followed their every move, every facial expression. In the back of his mind he knew that he was imposing on a private moment and that to the outside world he probably looked like a voyeur. Still, he just couldn't pry his eyes off of them. He just hoped that none of Warrick's neighbours would catch him looking.

Even as he felt his heart break a little, Grissom couldn't help but smile. It was obvious how much in love Nick and Sara were. If there were two people who deserved to be happy it was them. He just stood there, mesmerized as he watched them dance and laugh together. _Perfection_, Grissom thought. That was the only word to describe the sight in front of him. With a slightly remorseful smile on his face, Grissom turned around and walked back to his car. As he climbed into his Denali he decided that he would pick up his jacket another time.

**THE END**


End file.
